Through the Years
by castingstarlight
Summary: Delena AU; This is set in the future, where after season 5 Damon didn't die, he came back and everyone was human who came through Bonnie. Damon and Elena decided to start a human life together, marriage and children included.. and they moved away from Mystic Falls because their past was too hard. And all was good, their horrible lives forgotten. Until one night, everything changed.
1. Prologue

**Authors Note:**

**Hey guys :D so as I'm sure you've read this story is an AU and it will fluctuate between the past and the present. in this AU Damon made it through Bonnie at the end of season five and he and Elena ended up human as well as everyone else who passed through Bonnie. So then Damon and Elena decided that it would be good for them to live out human lives together, because lets be honest… he only wanted to be a vampire to be with Katherine anyway and living eternally without Elena would be pointless. They got married and Elena got pregnant and they moved away from Mystic Falls, their lives almost forgotten. :)**

**so thats the background you need to know! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries I'm just taking their characters out for a spin 3**

**R&R please :) I wanna know your thoughts!**

_10 years ago_

"Come on sweetie!" Elena beamed at her tiny daughter. She was small for the age of six, her wild brown curls looking like an afro from all the moisture in the air from the snow storm.

"I have to wait for Daddy!" Beth squealed.

"You know he is going to be late." Elena scolded her tiny daughter. "Come on lets get those pjs on!"

"I want my footie pajamas." She demanded putting her arms up.

Elena picked her up. "Yes mam." She sat her daughter on her hip and walked to her bedroom. She sat her on her bed and took out her flannel footie pajamas that had tiny Christmas trees on them. "Tis the season." She grinned.

Beth grinned. "yay!"

Elena helped her out of her clothes and into her pajamas, with minimal battle, and a short time of feet tickling and raspberries on her still plump tummy. Elena's heart ached for the time that was sure to come that her chubby daughter would lose her baby weight.

"Time for bed, little one." Elena said turning down her covers.

"No!" She said, her eyes wide. She immediately ran out of the room and down the stairs.

Elena groaned. "Beth!" She got up off the bed and walked after her child.

She got downstairs just to see Beth sitting by the fire clutching her fathers coat. "I don't want to go to bed without Daddy."

Elena looked at her daughters big brown eyes and trembling lips and her heart sunk. "Oh, fine." Elena said scooping her whimpering daughter up. "We will wait for Daddy."

Beth wiped her eyes and smiled big at Elena.

"You love, Daddy, huh?"

Beth nodded. "I do!"

Elena smiled. "Me too."

"I want to see princess Mommy." Beth said insistently. She thought Elena's wedding pictures were her being a princess, this hadn't been the first time she had asked to see them.

Elena nodded and brought out the album.

She sat next to her daughter and sat the album on her lap. Beth gasped pointing to the pictures. "You was so beautiful!" She gushed.

"Thank you." Elena smiled running her fingers over the picture. "Look how handsome Daddy was." Elena beamed, her nose wrinkling.

Beth giggled. "He is prince?"

Elena nodded. "He is indeed. My prince."

A knock came to the door. "Uh oh! Maybe Daddy left his key." Elena hopped up opening the door. "Hey there." She smiled before taking a step back. "I'm sorry I thought you were my husband."

"Is this Damon Salvatores house?" The man at the door asked, his white teeth almost glowing in the moonlight.

"Yes. I'm Mrs. Salvatore, his wife." Elena glanced at her daughter who was kicking her feet and examining the pictures. "I'm sorry, he isn't home."

The man tilted his head to the side and smirked. "Well that is a shame, he wont be here to see me kill his wife."


	2. 10 Years Later

**Authors Note:**

**I thought I'd post this along with the Prologue because its more where the story actually is :P **

**i Hope you like it! Please read and review! :D**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own TVD as much as I wish I did /:**

_Present Day_

Beth opened her eyes, rubbing them slightly. Her brown curls stuck up all over the place. She sat up with a big yawn. She wrapped her hair into a messy ponytail. It had been ten years to the day. She hopped out of bed and bounded down the stairs. She stopped when she reached the kitchen.

"Morning." Her father said with a smile, he was flipping pancakes.

"You look… good." Beth said sitting at the island, watching him cook.

"Thank you." He said with a grin before reaching out a hand and tussling her hair. "You, not so much." He said with a smirk.

"Whatever, Dad." She rolled her eyes. "I figured we would be spending the day in bed, since… you know." She said biting her lip.

"I thought we would have a change of pace this year." He said handing her a plate, the pancake had a blueberry smile.

"Oh?" She said, her eyebrow raised. She cut a piece of pancake and plopped it into her mouth.

"Yeah." He said taking a drink from his coffee. "I thought I would show you some of your moms things."

Beth almost chocked on her pancake. "Wait, really?" She said up straighter in her chair.

Her dad smiled slightly, sadness in his eyes. "I think its time."

Beth hopped up and ran around the counter, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you." She breathed.

"Yeah." He said cupping the back of her head in his hand, the other resting in between her shoulder blades.

"Really, Dad. I know how hard today is for you." She said looking up at him.

"Eat your pancakes." He said letting her go.

Beth nodded and sat back in her seat. "So… Am I allowed to ask you questions?" She asked, chipper.

Her father sighed. "What do you want to know?"

Every moment up to this one, he had avoided every mention of her mother. And after a year of begging, she stopped asking. He would get upset, his blue eyes would water, and he would drink. She hated seeing him like that, her father, her closest ally. But today was different.

"How did you meet her?"Beth asked meeting his eyes.

He took his coffee in his hands, and gazed out the window, his eyes wrinkling in the sun. "I was on the street, walking."

"Where?"

"It doesn't matter now, I was searching for something to fill a hole I had in me, but I couldn't have ever guessed that she would be my solution."

Beth smiled slightly, taking a drink of her orange juice and urging him to continue.

"She was beautiful, and I thought she was someone I had knew before. But she wasn't, she was something else all together. Walking aimlessly. She had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend, he wanted forever with her and she claimed to not know what she wanted."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her that she did know what she wanted." _So, Damon, tell me. What is it that I want? _"I told her that she wanted what everybody wanted, a love that consumed her, passion, adventure, and even a little danger." He smiled sadly taking a drink. "And she asked me what I wanted. For the first time in my life someone actually cared. And she didn't even know me."

Beth stared at her fathers tense back, she had never heard him talk about her mother before, she couldn't tell if it upset him or made him happy. "Was it love at first sight?" She asked softly.

"I don't think I loved her, then. But the possibility that I could love her was there. Which is more than I had in a lifetime." Damon admitted quietly.

"Dad?" She asked softly pushing her plate away. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

He turned, sitting his coffee down. "Beth, you've been so strong for me. And I've been a shitty Dad. I know that…"

Beth shook her head. "No. that isn't true." She touched his cheek as he tried to look away. "Hey, look at me."

His heart ached, she looked so much like Elena, but with his wild hair. Sometimes being around her was painful, but she was all of Elena he had left. And it was time that she knew her mother. He allowed her to turn his face.

"You have been an amazing father. Don't start with that self pity crap, That isn't how we Salvatore's do it." She said with a smile.

Damon smiled slightly. "You're right, baby. Go get ready, we have quite the drive ahead of us."

Beth nodded, and bit her lip. She pressed a gentle kiss to her fathers cheek before turning on her heels and heading back upstairs.

She sat on her bed, her head spinning, she couldn't believe this was actually happening. She grabbed her iPhone and after a few clicks, and rings, Brandon picked up the phone. "You won't believe it."

"You aren't coming to school?" He asked smoothly, she could hear him tap his pencil on the table. "On a scale from one to ten how wasted his he? Come on Beth he probably won't even notice you're gone.."

"No, you're not listening." She said frustrated. "He isn't drinking, and he hasn't been."

There was a pause on Brandon's end of the line. "Well… that is different." She could almost picture his green eyes crinkling in thought, his pencil tapping away at the table.

"He wants to tell me about Mom."

Another pause now.

"Brandon?"

"Do you want me to come over?" He asked after a moment, her childhood best friend, and neighbor had been there ever since she was born.

Beth shook her head, her curls falling out of her ponytail. "No… But I think he is taking me somewhere… I will keep you updated." Her breathing was shaky.

"You okay?"

Beth sighed. "I don't know, Brandon. I don't know how I feel… this is what I've always wanted…"

"But?"

"But what if she isn't what I want her to be?"

"Parent's never are." He said simply. "I love you, okay?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah. Me too."


	3. 400 Miles

**A/N: R&R! I hope you like this next installment of my story :) Let me know how you guys are feeling this out! Its basically my version of a walk through the life of Delena… :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own tvd… sadly.**

"Do you have it all together?"

Beth had finally calmed her wild locks, she had dumped her entire backpack out and filled it with anything she thought she could possibly need. "Yeah, almost!" She shouted down to her father.

Damon rubbed his hands together nervously. His phone vibrated in his pocket. "Stefan." He said smoothly.

"You guys headed out yet?"  
>"Nope, I'm waiting on Beth. Teenagers, ya know."<p>

Damon could almost hear his brother smile. "I do. Jess took Lilah out for the weekend so the house is all yours."

"Thanks." Damon said exhaling.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I'm sure I'm not, but when you're a parent you don't have room to be selfish… and well, I've been selfish enough." Damon explained, leaning against the counter.

"Ready!" Beth said, bounding into the kitchen.

"I'll uh… see you in a few hours." He mumbled into the receiver before he hung up.

Beth pointed her index finger at the phone Damon was shoving into his jean pocket. "Who was that?"

"Your uncle." He coughed slightly. "Stefan."

Beth's eyes widened. "Your brother? Oh my god we haven't seen them since… Wait." Her heart was speeding up. "Are we going to Mystic Falls?"

Damon rolled his eyes, taking her backpack from her. "Come on, Beastie."

Beth smiled widely. "You haven't called me that in years…" She said and after a pause she was right on his heels.

Damon tossed his bag into the Camaro, roof down.

"Oh my god, Dad what is this?" Beth asked pointing at the car

"This is my baby. As you can see, there isn't exactly room for car seats." He smiled, patting the passenger seat after he got in. "Come on, you're burning daylight."

"Just when I thought you were getting cool, you used a total dad phrase." Beth said hopping into the car.

Damon made a face, starting the car. He smiled slightly at the purr of the engine, he had missed this, he had missed this. He figured if he was going to jump back into his old life he may as well jump in full force. He pulled out of the drive way.

Beth threw her arms in the air, smiling and enjoying the wind. Knowing full well that she would be walking away with an afro, but this was well worth it.

"So," Beth began, settling into her seat.

"So?" Damon questioned, eyeing her.

"Did you ever go on road trips with Mom?"

Damon smiled slightly. "Often, actually. I remember our first road trip like it was yesterday."

"Oh come on, Dad, I need more details then that." Beth eyed him.

Damon chuckled slightly. "She had gotten in a car wreck, she was upset. And I found her, pulled her out of the wreckage, surveyed her injuries, like a gentlemen." His smirk was firmly planted on his face.

"Sounds very romantic." Beth said genuinely.

"Then," He continued. "When she woke up we were already right outside Atlanta. We went to a little bar and had lunch."

_How can you even eat if you're technically supposed to be…_

_ Dead? It isn't such a bad word._

"She didn't think I was being genuine, but honestly I had never been more genuine in my life." He smiled.

"Then? Come on, I know you guys must've had more of an exciting time." Beth pressed, knowing that he wouldn't have brought up that specific trip if it hadn't had an impact on their relationship.

Damon was silent for a moment, only the sound of wind and static from the car radio filling the silence that was quickly becoming deafening.

"I got my ass kicked." Damon admitted. "I had made a mistake and messed with a guys girl, in the past." He sighed.

Beth watched him, her father, the only parent she had ever had.

"And he was going to kill me… and there came your mom, swopping in to save the day. She told him that his girl wouldn't have wanted him to be a killer… that she had said 'when its real you don't walk away' so he had to be better than me.. Better than I had been to his girl." He swallowed hard, Beth could tell how difficult this was for him. "She begged him not to hurt me… Which meant that after the pain I had caused her she found me worth saving." He smiled slightly. "And then on our drive home," He glanced at her. "She was sitting right where you are now."

Beth blushed slightly, running her fingers over the seat, imagining her mother as a teenager, her own age, sitting where she sat, looking at the man that was surely her soul mate.

"And she said, with the sassiest and most adorable voice she had, that she had saved my life… and don't I forget it. And I never did." He smiled. "I would never forget the day that I became worth saving, to the fantastic Elena Gilbert. The pinnacle of good, thought I was worth it. And from then on I did my best to be that for her."

Beth smiled at him. "Did you know, then?"

"Know what?" He asked, his eyes focusing on the road.

"That you loved her?"

"Come on, Beth."

"Dad, you said you'd tell me what I asked…"

He sighed. "No, I didn't know that yet. I was hooked on my ex, it was a messy ordeal."

Beth nodded. "I see." Her eyes perked up. "Then when? I mean… when did you know?"

"Wow," Damon exhaled loudly. "It is just way too early in this road trip for that kind of bonding, kid." He shook his head.

"Noted." Beth nodded. "So um…. We are going to Mystic Falls, right?"

"Yes." Damon chuckled. "We are going to Mystic Falls."

"That's going to be so weird." She said chewing her lip.

"It will." He sighed. "I haven't been there since…" _Since Elena's funeral. _He thought, but he couldn't think it out loud, he had been doing a good job up until that point trying to keep it together.

"Y'know your Mom and I decided we wanted to get out of that town." He said gripping the steering wheel. "We wanted a new life, free from all the drama that was Mystic Falls."

"I don't know, Dad, it seemed pretty nice."

"It was. It was the place we met, fell in love. But that is the thing about a place, that's all it is. Home is where you are together with the people you love. We could've lived under a rock." He laughed. "As long as I had her, I was complete."

"That's… so cheesy."

Damon laughed. "Yeah, I didn't used to be this soft."

"Is that why you're wearing leather?" Beth asked poking his jacket.

He shrugged. "Thought if I'm going to jump in I may as well go feet first."

"Seems fair." Beth twisted her dark curl in her finger. She sunk into her seat a bit more. "You look good, like a bad ass."

"I was a bad ass." His white teeth shone in the sun.

Beth laughed. "Oh I can't wait to hear those stories."

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"This weekend is about her, not about me."

"Well I can't wait to hear all of it."

"Well, you have 200 miles to go," He smirked. "Ask away."


	4. The Baby

**A/N: Hey guys! See it wasn't too long! I'm trying my best to keep at my chaptered fics, although sometimes I get in a bit of a funk and I have a hard time figuring exactly how I'm going to progress the story along, and I want to make sure I do it justice. **

**so let me know what you think about this story :) Reviews make me really want to continue!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD, just borrowing their characters for a few.**

_17 years ago_

"This is the longest two minutes of my life."

Elena tapped the counter in the bathroom, standing up and pacing slightly before sitting again on the toilet. "You're not helping." She snapped at him.

Damon sat with his back against the wall, his forearms resting on his knees, his hands dangling. He continually popped his fingers nervously, and twisted his wedding band. "If it doesn't work we can just try again…"

"We have been trying, Damon. Over and over again." Elena said desperately, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be… maybe some things just can't ever be human again."

Damon winced slightly at that. "Ouch."

Elena buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I'm just so freaked out."

Damon stood and pulled his estranged wife into his arms, before settling back on the floor. "Listen to me."

Elena sighed and kept her face down.

"Hey." He said tilting her chin upwards. "Look at me. I love you." He said tenderly, his thumb caressing her cheek, as his blue eyes searched her chocolate ones. "You deserve a baby, and I'll try every day if I have to." He smiled mischievously. "We will never leave the bedroom. I'm up for the challenge."

Elena laughed a little and leaned into his touch.

"That's my girl." He said pulling her mouth to his.

"The stick!" Elena said suddenly pulling away, her eyes wide.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

Elena nodded. "Yes, but you look." She wiggled off his lap so he could stand, and she watched him pick up the stick and examine it. "Well?"

Damon sighed and shook his head.

Elena sighed and started to fall back to the floor. "Damn it…"

"Two lines means not pregnant, right?" Damon said smiling slightly handing her the test.

Elena stared, in awe. There they were, two little blue lines. Thick blue lines. Her bottom lip trembled, "Oh my god." She looked up at Damon who was falling to his knees to meet her. "Oh my GOD!" Elena grinned, a tear escaping her eyes. "I'm going to be a Mom."

Damon hugged her and before he knew it he was crying too. He picked her up and spun her around. Her laugher bubbling around him and her hair whipping about. He sat her down and got on his knees, pulling her shirt up slightly. "Hi, little Beastie." He whispered touching her stomach. "I'm your Dad." His voice broke slightly.

Elena reached down stroking his hair, a smile creeping onto her lips.

"Mom and I have been waiting for you, and we can't wait to meet you." He said softly, placing a gentle kiss on her abdomen.

_The Present_

Beth opened her eyes, not realizing she had fallen asleep. "Hey there sleepy head." Damon said, sipping a coke through a straw.

"Hey." Beth said, clearing her throat. "Where are we?"

"About thirty minutes out."

She stretched her arms, smiling. "Good, I'm tired of being in the car."

"Oh, you're tired of being in the car?" He laughed. "You haven't been the one having to sit in silence for the last hour and a half." He rolled his eyes.

Beth shrugged. "You know how I do on car trips, the road makes me sleepy."

"Which is why when you asked if you and Brandon could travel to Atlanta for that concert I said no." Damon said knowingly.

"Oh come on, nothing bad would happen."

"Bad things happen when you let your guard down, Beth." Damon said smoothly. "You can't expect that things are good, otherwise they'll get trashed."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Tell me some things you loved about her."

Damon was quiet to the point that Beth was sure he wouldn't answer, before he cleared his throat. "She was so beautiful." His voice was soft. "Her eyes like the richest chocolate, her hair so long and beautiful that I couldn't stop touching it…" He smiled. "Her laugh was so beautiful, it was worth making bad jokes if I knew I could hear her laugh… And she couldn't cook, at all." He laughed.

Beth raised an eyebrow. "You loved that?"

"Yeah." He glanced at her. "I loved everything about her."

Beth pushed her curls behind her ears. "You must have."

"I loved the noise she made when she would try something I cooked, it was like it was the first time she had ever tasted something good, but it was every time. I loved how she was so stubborn that it would just drive me crazy, but I know if she wasn't so stubborn we would've never been together. We had too much against us, but she refused to let any of it matter…. Because that was the other thing… Being loved by Elena Gilbert was such a joy. Nothing can compete to those lips curving to create the word love."

They sped past a sign that alerted them that the Mystic Falls exit was coming up.

"And I love how she loved you." Damon said reaching out and touching his daughter's cheek. "When we found out we were having you, she looked at me and said 'I'm going to be a Mom'. I remember it like it was yesterday. You were what she always wanted and we really didn't think we would get so lucky…" He sighed moving his hand back to the wheel.

"I wish I could've known her."

"She would be so proud of you, Beth." Damon said, his voice shaking. "I mean, at six years old she couldn't have dreamt up a more perfect child."

"She said that?" Beth asked eagerly.

Damon chuckled. "From the moment you were born, she said you were the best child that ever existed, and you are my kid so of course she was right."

_"Elena you can do this." Damon encouraged, holding her weak hand in his and pushing a sweaty strand of hair from her face._

_ "No." Elena shook her head crying. "I can't."_

_ "You can," He said cupping her cheek. "You've faced far worse things than this." He brought his face to her ear and whispered. "You've killed vampires, died twice, and almost died countless other amounts of times… giving birth to our daughter is nothing." He placed a gentle kiss on her ear. "Come on baby you can do it."_

_ Elena nodded and clamped her eyes shut, and when the doctor told her to push she did, with everything that she had. And when she thought she wouldn't be able to make it, the pressure stopped and she heard a cry. The tiniest most perfect cry she had ever heard, her eyes flew open as she saw the gooey mess in the doctors hand. _

_ "You have a beautiful baby girl, congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore."_

_ Damon squeezed Elena's hand before walking to the end of the bed. He sucked his air in when he saw her. The doctor was right she was perfect. _

_ "Want to cut the cord, Dad?"_

_ Damon nodded and took the instrument, snipping his daughter's last connection to his wife. The doctor weighed her and cleaned her up again before handing her to Damon. "Its our girl Lena…" He whispered. Sitting next to his wife, who was clearly exhausted. _

_ Elena reached for her and rested her tiny body against her skin, so they could bond. "Oh my god she's so small." Elena whispered before immediately starting to cry. Elena touched her small feet. "She is perfect, I can't… I can't imagine that there is any child that can compete with her… Just look at her Damon." _

_ "I see her, baby." He said stroking her hair, watching his two girls in complete awe. He didn't think Elena could look more beautiful, her face flushed and damp. Her hair tangled and her eyes wide and alert, obviously exhausted from bringing life to his daughter, the only other woman he will ever love. _


	5. Stefan's Girl

**A\N: Hey guys! Sorry its taken a few days, Ive been moving back into my dorm and trying to work on my fics. :) luckily though this is the only fic Im not blocked on atm.**

**sorry about any mistakes I am typing on my ipad, sigh.**

**disclaimer: I do not in any way own TVD.**

"Uncle Stefan!" Beth called as she opened up the car door. They had just pulled into the driveway of the Boarding House.

"Hey little one!" Stefan said jogging towards the Camaro. "Or not so little! You are not six years old anymore!" He said pulling his niece into a hug.

"Nope, sixteen, actually." Beth said hugging him tightly.

"Nice to see you too, brother." Damon said, stretching as he got out of the car.

Stefan pulled away from Beth and pulled his big brother into a hug. "I missed you."

"Ah, don't get all sentimental." Damon said dramatically. "I will have none of that while I'm in town."

"Wrong." Beth said, wearing her fathers patented smirk. "That is exactly why we are here."

Damon scoffed, which made Stefan chuckle. "Still has you wrapped around her little finger, I see."

"Comes with being a Dad, as I'm sure you're aware." Damon said smoothly.

Stefan nodded.

"Speaking of being a Dad," Beth began eagerly, "Where is Aunt Jess, and Lilah?"

20 Years Ago

"He'll be here, don't worry." Elena said calmly, setting the table.

"He's late, Lena." Damon said, running his fingers through his hair.

"When did you become such a worry wort?" Elena asked him with a smile, her hair falling into her face.

"Maybe its a human atribute." He said shooting her a look.

As if on que the door bell rang.

"God, its about time." Damon huffed opening the door.

Stefan stood, nervously, standing with his arm around a small, short haired, blonde, with blue eyes and a large smile planted on her face. "Hey" He said. "I hope its okay that I brought a guest."

"Is that Stefan?" Elena called from the kitchen.

"And a plus one." Damon called back, opening the door wide enough for them to walk in, withoout invitation.

Elena raised an eyebrow with a slight smile, "oh."

She had just lit the candles in the center of the table when the three dinner guests entered the kitchen. Elena looked up and smiled at the girl in the red knee length dress. "Hi, I'm Elena." she said wiping her hands on her pants before stretching her hand out for the girl.

"I'm Jess." The blonde said sliding her hand in Elena's hand.

Elena eyed Stefan with a She's cute look. "And this is my boyfriend, Damon. the rude one that probably didn't introduce himself."

Damon shook his head. "Sorry about that. I'm Stefans older brother."

Stefan ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm really glad you guys are all getting to meet, she uh, insisted."

Jess grinned at Stefan taking his hand in hers. "Well, Stef doesn't talk about his home life much and I've been dying to meet the famous Damon and Elena." She beamed.

Elena tried her best to hide her growing smile, she enjoyed watching Stefan squirm. "Well we are having lasanga."

"Did you cook it?" Stefan asked, looking alarmed.

Elena frowned when Damon chuckled. "No, Damon did. But I set the table." She shot an award winning smile.

"Well thank God for that." Stefan chuckled as he put his hand on the small of Jess' back as he lead her to the dinning room.

"You two have a beautiful home." Jess beamed taking her seat. "Stefan said you two have been together for..." She eyed Stefan for confirmation. "5 years now? Whats the hold up, when are you two going to tie the knot?"

Damon coughed slightly, "Wow, um.."

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry! That's so rude!" Jess said, her face red.

Elena laughed. "No, its fine, really." She smiled at Jess. "We both know where we stand." She said touching Damons hand gently.

Damon looked at her with a slight smile, his face flushed from embarassment. "Uh, yeah." He coughed slightly.

Stefan laughed. "I could never picture my brother settling down, honestly. He never seemed like the type."

Damon shot Stefan a look. "Can we please talk about anything else?"

"How did you two meet?" Elena asked, trying to help the situation along.

"Well," Jess smiled lacing her fingers with Stefans. "I was in the grocery store... Looking at bread, did you know theres like fifty different kinds of bread?"

Elena bit the inside of her cheek to hide her giggle, she couldnt believe how cliche this all was.

"She just couldnt figure out what kind to get, and I walked up right behind her and grabbed a loaf, and she asked me how I could possibly pick out bread." He beamed at Jess.

"I couldnt believe it, with all those choices how could he possibly just walk right up and take one? But then he said..."

"I said, when you know what you want you just have to go for it."

"And then we just stared at each other for awhile, and then I kissed him. Because when you want something you just have to go for it." She reached her face forward and rubbed her nose against his.

Elena and Damon made eye contact and started laughing.

Present Day

"Jess and Lilah are away for the weekend, the house is all ours." Stefan smiled.

"Man, I was looking forward to seeing them." Beth sighed.

"Come on, kid, lets go bring our stuff inside." Damon said picking up their bags. "Welcome to casa de Salvatore." He smiled opening the doors.

"Woah." Beth exclaimed, her eyes widening. "This is beautiful."

"Its kitchy, but its home."

Stefan laughed and took Beths bag from her.

Beth ran her fingers over the furniture and smiled, something felt so right about being here. She followed the men up the stairs and she stopped suddenly behind her dad. "Why are we stopping?"

"I just... havent been in here in a long time." Damon said swallowing.

Beth touched his shoulder. "We dont have to.."

"Of course we do," Damon said taking a deep breath as he opened the door and put his bags on his bed. He looked around, there were pictures of her, and his breath sucked in, he hadnt seen her face in a long time. He walked up to the picture and picked it up. "Lena" He whispered.

Beth walked up behind her. "Shes beautiful. Is that?" She asked. The picture was Damon with his arms around a beautiful, thin, long haired brunette.

"Yes, thats Elena... Thats your Mom."


	6. The Salvatores

**Authos Note: Hey guys! Sorry its taken me a bit, I have been super sick all week. I am starting to feel better so I spent the day finalizing this chapter. I hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it. **

**Review! LMK what you thnk.**

**Disclaimer: I will never own tvd, and I wil cry for always.**

Beth took the picture from her father and ran her finger over her mother in the picture. "She's beautiful."

Damon smiled. "That she was."

"She looks so young."

"She was a little older than you when we took this."

Beth smiled and held the picture to her chest. "So this was..."

"Our room. Hers and mine."

"She lived here with you and Stefan?"

Damon nodded with a sad smile. "Her house caught fire and she had nowhere else to go... and she was falling in love with me, we had just got together and she moved in."

Beth raised an eyebrow moving on to another picture. "So you two shacked up the moment you got together?"

Damon laughed. "It took us awhile to get to the place we were, so by the time we were moving in together it was about time."

"Did it look any different then?"

"Less pictures, but when we decided to leave Mystic Falls we just decided it would be best for us to leave the room like this..."

Beth opened up a drawer and pulled out one of her shirts. "Wow.. This is so pretty."

"Have it." Damon smiled.

"Wait… Really?"

"She would want you to have it."

Beth smiled and hugged it to her chest. "Yeah, okay." She smiled at her father. "Thanks,

Daddy."

"No need, I'm just doing what she would want me to do." He said ruffling her hair. "Want some time alone?"

Beth's eyes met his. "Why don't you hang out here, Dad, I'll go help uncle Stefan with dinner."

Damon gave her an encouraging smile and pulled her into his arms. "Okay, baby. I'll be here."

Beth smiled and bounded down the stairs.

Damon gazed into Elena's drawer, pulling the fabric out. He held the shirt to his face inhaling her scent. Even after all these years, it was as if she had just worn it. He sighed and folded the top and placed it back in the drawer.

He sat on the bed and placed his face in his hands. The room was just as they left it, it still felt alive with her. He laid back, looking at the ceiling, his arms stretching out to feel the egyptian cotton sheets.

He closed his eyes and he could picture her, laying next to him her head resting on his chest.

_"Damon." She whispered drawing circles on his stomach with her index finger._

_"Hm?"_

_"Can we stay like this forever?" Her voice floated around his head like music._

_"Naked?" He smirked._

_"No." She laughed quietly. "Connected, relaxed… happy."_

_"I would give anything for that." He said, petting her long brunette hair. _

_"Maybe we should run away."_

_"Elena Gilbert, you want to run away with me?" Damon smirked slightly._

_"I always wanted to run away with you, get away from this place… all the danger, all the pain." Her voice trailed off._

_"I know." He frowned and kissed the top of her head. "These moments are rare, so we should enjoy it."_

_"I'm really enjoying it." She said propping herself up by her elbows, kissing him gently. _

_"Me too." He smiled against her lips pulling her closer, into his arms. "I'm never letting you go, you know?"_

_"Good." She said rubbing her nose against his. "Because I don't want you too."_

_"I love you, Elena Gilbert." He said holding her closer._

_"And I love you, Damon Salvatore." She said pressing her forehead against his. "And I will always love you."_

_"Forever." He agreed. _

"Uncle Stefan." Beth smiled entering the kitchen.

"Hey Beth."

"I was um… hoping that you could tell me about my Mom." She said sitting at the island.

Stefan looked up from his mixing bowl and smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"I know its hard on him, and I'm trying not to push a lot… I can tell that being here is painful for him. And I love him, I don't want him to hurt… he's my Dad."

"He loves you, so much Beth. I remember when he called me to tell me he was having you. He was overjoyed, and crying like a baby. I had never seen him like that. The idea of having you was a dream he never thought he would have."

Beth blushed a bit but listened intently to her uncle.

"He would do anything for you, Beth. And honestly he needs to face her death, too." Stefan said softly.

Beth looked down at her hands, tugging on her bracelets.

"But…" Stefan said putting on a smile. "I do have a lot of dirt on your Mom."

"Can't wait to hear it." Beth said settling in her seat.

"Did you know that I dated her before your Dad?"

"No!" She said her jaw dropping.

"Yup." He chuckled. "Damon was in the worst mood when he came into town but your Mom brought him out of his funk. Much to my dismay."

"So he stole your girlfriend?"

"They're soul mates, Beth. I was an idiot to try to get in their way. They were miserable without each other." Stefan smiled.

"You really think they were soul mates?"

"I never saw my brother happier than when he was with your Mom."

"I would've liked to see him like that… happy."

"I'm sure he's still happy, honey." Stefan said sadly.

"Not Elena happy." She pointed out.

"Well she was special like that." He said with a smile.

"That's what I'm gathering." Beth said with a smile.

"She had a lot of darkness in her life, but yet she managed to always be the brightest person in everyone else's life. She was amazing like that."

"You loved her." Beth pointed out.

"It was impossible not to." Stefan said sadly. "But I love your aunt, and marrying her was the best decision I ever made."

"Don't worry, I won't mention it to her, Uncle Stefan." Beth said with a michevious smile that so closely resembled Damon's.

Stefan rolled his eyes and began mixing again. "You are defintely a Salvatore, kid."

"I take that as a compliment." She said with a excited grin.

_"Yup, you're a definitely Salvatore now." Stefan laughed, as Elena's eyes narrowed._

_"What is that supposed to mean?" She crossed her arms tightly across her chest._

_"I'm just pointing out the facts."_

_"No, you're trying to insult me." Elena said with a frown._

_"Elena, I'm a Salvatore. How could that possibly be an insult?" Stefan asked with an eyebrow quirked._

_"That's why its an insult, brother." Damon said, walking into the room and flashing a brilliant white smile._

_Stefan scoffed at his brother but couldn't hide his growing smile. "She's feeling the Salvatore gilt."_

_"Oh?" Damon said wrapping his arms around Elena's waist. "Guilt for what?"_

_"I just... With all the wedding plans and everything, I forgot that today was your birthday, I didn't get you anything." Elena said looking down._

_"Come on, my birthday was never important to me, Lena. No harm done."_

_She shook her head. "No, I'm going to be an awful wife, I can't even remember your birthday..."_

_"Elena, stop this has nothing to do with how good of a wife you will be.." He said desperately trying to convince her that he was fine, he hadn"t celebrated his birthday sincec he was a child._

_"Please just let me make it up to you."_

_"Okay, okay. Fine." Damon said holding his hands up in surrender. "If it will make you that happy..."_

_"It will." She said sternly, a smile growing on her face. "I will buy you dinner toinght, where ever you want to go!"_

_Damon chuckled quietly. "Sounds good."_

_"I will start getting ready, but crap..." She said cursing under her breath. "I'm expecting a check in the mail from The Grill, can you go check and see if it has came yet?"_

_Damon nodded with a smile. "My working girl." He said before turning on his heels and heading out the front door. He walked to the end of the driveway and opened the mail box, only one thing sat inside...a flyer for a hotel in Italy. "Elena?" He called walking back into the house. "What is this?"_

_Elena was perched on the counter holding two plane tickets in her hands. "You didn"t think I would actually forget your birthday, did you?"_

_"Are you serious?" He asked, his mouth dropping open. "you bought plane tickets and a hotel to Italy?"_

_"Caroline may have helped with a little vamp persuasian." Elena blushed. "But yeah... do you like it?"_

_"I love it." He grinned and hugged her. "You dirty trickster," He whispered into her hair as her arms flew around him tightening their embrace._

_"Decieving loved ones, like I said... she is a Salvatore." Stefan said with a loving smile. _


	7. The Attic

**A/N: Hey guys :) Having so much fun writing this! I'm really excited because in the next few chapters I'm going to shake some things up. It'll be a little sad, and a little intense so I hope you're up for it!**

**Review and let me know what you're thinking :) You can also locate me on my tumblr: neverstopshippingdelena I will answer anything on here or there. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own TVD. le sigh.**

23 years ago

"I can't find Damon!" The wind was whipping Elena's hair around her head, as a sense of urgency pumped through her veins, making her eyes focus. _Where is he?! _She thought desperately. He promised her, and yet he was no where to be seen.

"You go I'll wait here." Stefan said desperately.

"No! I'm not leaving without him!" Elena shook her head, anger bubbling up inside her. How dare he bring that up as an option. This is Damon we are talking about.

"This place is falling apart!"

"NO!" She shouted, her eyes clamping shut. _This can't be happening. _And suddenly she felt it, Bonnie's hands on her arms. And she was there again, on solid ground. And something broke inside her at that moment as tears escaped her eyes.

"Elena! Thank God!" Carolines voice broke through the rigid air, hitting Elena's hears like a wrecking ball. But all she heard was the lack of his voice.

"No.. Bonnie why would you do that? I can't leave without him!"

"We'll find him." Bonnie said assuring her best friend.

"What? What's going on?" Caroline asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "Who are we missing? Where's Stefan?"

Bonnie hunched over then, falling into a coughing fit.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh my God Bonnie.."

"No. No, no. No.." Stefan was muttering as he appeared in front of Elena.

Her heart sunk deeper into her gut

"Stefan!"

"I was just trying to.."

"What's wrong?"

"She fell.. I was just trying to.."

"What?!"

"Damon… He's not there yet."

Elena felt a punch to her gut, she knew she would throw up. Her eyes filled with tears again and she shook her head. "This isn't happening."

"It's okay." Bonnie said softly looking at her distressed best friend. "I can do this." Her eyes were full of determination.

But Elena couldn't focus, she couldn't believe her. One horrifying thought was floating through her head: _He isn't here. He isn't here. Damon. Where are you? Please don't do this to me…_

She couldn't stand it anymore, so she went into the crypt to check on Liv. She gasped when she saw it.

Luke stood behind Liv, chanting against her. Even though Elena didn't know much about magic, in this moment it ws obvious.. Luke was trying to stop them. Elena growled and moved in front of him, shoving him hard, pushing him to the ground. He was so wrapped up in his chants that he didn't see her in front of him. His head hit the floor with a loud smack! He would feel that in the morning. Elena swallowed hard. "Keep going Liv, just a little longer." Elena whispered encouragingly.

She walked out of the crypt, feeling nervous. She felt different, but mostly really afraid. She knew in her gut that something was happening and she didn't like it. Her head was swimming and she knew at any moment she would completely lose it.

That was at least until she saw Ric appear, and Damon moments later.

"Damon!" Elena screamed and ran to him, jumping into his arms before he could even process what was happening.

"Lena. Hey." He said holding her in his arms, his hand cradling the back of her head. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Luke was trying to counteract the spell, I think.. But I stopped him." Elena said tearing up. "You were almost stuck over there."

Damon was quiet, as if he was trying to process what his fate almost had become. He pulled Elena a little closer to his chest.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked looking up at him.

"Yeah." Damon nodded with a small smile. "I'm perfect."

"Good." Elena said pulling away before smacking him hard. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

"Ow." Damon winced, reaching up and touching his cheek where her nail nicked him. It wasn't healing. He met Elena's eyes. "Elena."

"You.. aren't healing." Her voice was trembling.

He offered his finger to her and she felt nothing. She wasn't hungry at all. She swallowed hard. "I couldn't run quickly to Luke earlier, but I was so scared I didn't even think…"

Tyler arrived behind them. "We aren't vampires anymore." He said solemnly.

"What?" Elena and Damon said at the same time, their mouths hanging open.

"Yup." Tyler said, his expression grim. "We are cured."

Present Day

"How's lunch coming?" Damon asked walking down the stairs.

"All done!" Beth said, looking up at him. "Uncle Stefan made pasta. It's actually pretty good." She said with a grin.

"Wow, that's a lot coming from you, little one." He said slightly amused. "She is even picky with my cooking, Stef. When she was little, I would take her to someone's house for a sleepover and they would call asking what she could eat because she would refuse almost everything they'd try to give her." He said chuckling.

Beth grinned as her Dad plopped down next to her.

Stefan poured them both bowls and handed them each a soda. "Eat up!"

Beth immediately tore into the soup. "Mmm, it's so much better than all the road food we've been eating."

"I'll second that." Damon said with a smirk as he sipped the soup.

After a few minutes of silence, other than the obnoxious slurping of soup Beth chirped up. "Hey, Dad?"

"Hm?"

"What's the plan for the rest of the day?" She asked anxiously.

"I was thinking about showing her the attic." He said casually to Stefan.

Stefan nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I think she'd like that."

"What's in the attic?" Beth asked anxiously.

"Everything that used to be in our house." Damon said softly. "All of your Moms things."

Beth dropped her spoon. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack." He said cheesily, smiling. "As soon as you're done eat.."

Beth suddenly picked up her bowl and chugged the remaining soup before slamming it down. "Done!"

Both men laughed then, the skin around their eyes wrinkling slightly from their new found age. Damon looked admittedly worse than Stefan did, losing Elena had weighed on him and every line on his face proved it.

"Alright, well lets head on up." Damon said, standing and stretching, his muscles aching from the obvious stress that the years have brought.

They walked up the stairs, and Damon pulled down the trap in the ceiling that let down the stairs that lead to the attic. Inside at least twenty boxes were packed. "Go crazy." Damon said with a smile, there wasn't anything up here that he was worried about her seeing. Elena and he had made sure of that when she was born, they didn't want her to know about their past. Because once you know about vampires they're suddenly everywhere you turn, and they didn't want that life for her.

Beth grinned, her eyes lighting up as she calmly plopped down on the floor, sitting indian style, and began opening the box. It was a small box, it could easily fit in her lap. She pulled out a bit of bubble wrap, inside was a photo album. "Wow." She said softly, pulling it out. She sat it on her lap and opened the dusty book.

On the first page was a tiny foot print, handprint, and three hospital bracelets. The words at the top of the page read 'Beth's Baby Book'. She sucked in her breath. "Dad." She said quietly, running her fingers over the bracelets.

She flipped the page and she saw a picture of Elena, cradling her huge belly. "That's you." Damon said with a smile pointing to her belly. "This was before she was on bedrest."

"I didn't know she had to be on bedrest."

"She had such a small frame, that it was becoming really hard on her body to carry you around, you were born nine pounds." He smiled.

"Wow." Beth said making a face. "I'm so sorry."

"Apart from it being really nerve wracking, I enjoyed having her lay around all the time. It was nice being able to baby her for a few months. She always hated when I babied her." He said, his voice trailing off. His eyes were staring longingly out into the distance.

"She was really independent?"

He nodded with a smile. "Very."

Beth started to flip through the pages more.

"Hey, listen." Damon said gently, his eyes sad. "I need to do something, will you be okay here for a few hours?"

She nodded looking up at him. "Yeah, you going to be okay?"

He smiled and tousled her hair. "I will be." He placed a kiss on top of her head then and turned to leave.

As soon as she heard his boots descended the stairs she turned her attention back to the pages. When she reached the last page she sucked her breath in. It was a diary entry, addressed to her:

_Dear Baby,_

_Today I find out I am pregnant. I don't know if you are a boy or a girl… all I know is you are so tiny, and precious to me… I've only known about you for a few hours, but I've dreamt about you my entire life. Your Daddy and I are very excited to meet you. He is overjoyed. We never thought we would be so lucky, coming across you wasn't easy, so never worry about whether or not you were wanted. We want you more than anything in this life. _

_Right now you are a cluster of cells, but in nine months I will be holding you, looking into your eyes, feeding you. I want you to know that as long as we are alive we will protect you. You will never feel pain or sadness, because we will be there to keep you out of harms way._

_You are the most loved baby in this entire world… I just hope and pray that you love me too. That you will forgive me for who I was, who we all were. We want a better life for you than we had, sweet baby. We want you to know happiness, so much that it is all your little eyes see._

_I love you, angel, more than anything. It's a little scary, how close I already am to you. It is making my head spin, thinking about how incredible this is._

_Anyway, I better get some rest so you can grow big and strong._

_I love you so much, never forget that._

_Love,_

_Your Mommy._


End file.
